Current Fraud and Scams

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Scammers target COVID-19 fears

Stop and think before you share personal information over the phone or click on COVID-19-related links, anti-fraud expert says as pandemic scams pop up across Canada.  

 According to the FBI’s financial crime section, thousands of complaints are pouring in and scammers are getting creative. 

 Missouri officials are suing televangelist Jim Bakker after his TV show promoted a cure for COVID-19. 

1st court hearing for local doctor charged in COVID-19 fraud scheme

 Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer is warning the public not to fall for anyone offering to sell a home-testing kit for coronavirus. No such tests have been approved by the FDA and are considered scams.  

City officials are warning about scammers playing off people's fears and anxieties when it comes to the coronavirus outbreak. Melissa Nakhavoly reports. 

 Scammers are using the coronavirus pandemic to try to steal your Medicare number. You can protect yourself. Visit medicare.gov/fraud to learn more. 

 BBB warns of COVID-19-related scams 

Marketplace looks into health claims on YouTube and Eventbrite about how to protect yourself from COVID-19. We ask an expert if you can really buy your way to a better immune system. We also hear from some home-care workers who are fighting for personal protective equipment. Plus, we investigate a controversial rapid blood test said to determine if you have the antibodies to fight off COVID-19. 

 Alleged schemers are offering fake cures or luring users to download an app that holds your phone for a ransom. “Nightline” speaks to an online personality who aims to take them on. 

 Security companies have issued a warning to South African residents after reports about impersonators trying to access residential homes claiming to be government officials or medical practitioners doing COVID-19 home testing. Meanwhile, SABRIC, the South African Banking Risk Information Centre, has issued a warning to bank clients that cybercriminals are exploiting the spread of Coronavirus for their own gain using "Coronamania" panic to spread Coronavirus scams.